Finding Your Place

F e e d  Y o u r  P r o g r e s s 
F u e l  Y o u r  P a s s i o n
F i n d  Y o u r  P l a c e  

This is First Year Players' mantra, and it comprises what we as an organization hope to help our members accomplish year after year. From bonding events to performances to the show itself, these phrases are instilled in the very nature of what FYP is. Last Thursday we held the "Find Your Place Cabaret," for instance, where FYP members and those from outside organizations performed. Even within events like Adopt-A-Street and the staff retreat, we look to embody the goal of this organization—that is, Finding Your Place.

We turned to nine staff members to get a little more insight as to what the term "Find Your Place" means to them, and how it relates to their experiences in First Year Players. Quotes include the speakers' names, positions on staff, and what show they were originally a part of.

Staff at Adopt-A-Street

"To me, Find Your Place means being in an organization full of 90+ people and still being able to talk to them all like they are my family and to have a personal connection with each and every one of them."

-Jaylyn Noble

Choreographer '14-'15

The Drowsy Chaperone '12

"Find Your Place means always feeling comfortable in your own skin whenever you're around the people who mean most to you. In FYP you can always find your place no matter who you are, because we're all a fun-loving group of people who are able to pick you up when you've fallen down."

-Gabby Dizon

Social Chair '14-'15

Rent '14

"Find Your Place is a phrase that I believe every new student at any university is faced with in some way.  College can be an exciting and new adventure for many, and I think one of the most important things outside of academics is finding that place on campus you can call home.  As a member of FYP for two years now, I can see the ways in which this organization gears so much of what it does in order to tailor the freshman experience.  Last year I had the opportunity to mentor an incoming cast member, and I could see firsthand the impact that was made on all the cast members, from the first rehearsal to closing night.  Being a part of FYP is that home away from home.  It is a place where friendships and relationships are formed for not just the few years while at Syracuse University, but the many years to come after."

-Mike Landivar

Set Construction Team '14-'15

The Wedding Singer '13

Nalae White & Gabby Dizon at the staff retreat

"Find Your Place is having somewhere to go to, or a group of people to go to, where you feel safe and you feel like you can be yourself, and you're just at your happiest. Theatre in general attracts the best people, because people who love to perform love to do things for others, and are open people and love to share a positive experience with as many people as possible. FYP is like that because everyone's included. It's a large group of people where everyone's different, but everyone appreciates each other, and no matter what, everyone is accepted. And that's hard to find." 

-Jesse Roth

Campus Outreach '14-'15

The Drowsy Chaperone '12

"To Find Your Place is to leave your comfort zone and never look back. It's acting on some of your greatest fears, meeting people who may share some of those fears, and then deciding to conquer them together. It's a work in progress towards realizing, molding, and accepting who 'me' is while having the undoubted support of the foundation of 'we.'"

-Carina Clores

Community Events Team '14-'15

Rent '14

"I was involved with other organizations before FYP, but none of them ever made the campus seem small enough to fully connect with. FYP reaches a really diverse group of people and brings them together into a family that has not previously existed in the SU community. It's cliche at this point, but you really do Find Your Place with us. We're a grossly proud and passionate and loud organization that never leaves the honeymoon stage of our love. Can you blame us for wanting to shout it from the rooftops?!"

-Bailey Pfohl

 Acting Coach '14-'15
The Drowsy Chaperone '12

Bailey Pfohl & Bridget McGlone at the staff retreat

"For me, Find Your Place means finding a space where you feel completely comfortable and safe, surrounded by people who accept you for you. That is what FYP is: we are a group of diverse students who support each other no matter what—with the added benefit being that we get to do what we love with people we love."

-Kate Poland

Community Outreach '14-'15

The Wedding Singer '13

"Find Your Place means realizing who you are, discovering who you want to be and figuring out how to get there. In FYP, we give first year students the opportunity to find their place, and through them and through FYP, we find our own place in the organization and on campus."

-Chip Weber

Social Events Team '14-'15

Rent '14

"Find Your Place means finding a group of people with whom you feel 100% comfortable. There is never any judgment or ridicule. These people just accept you and your flaws. They help celebrate with you when you are at a high point in your life and help lift you up when you are at a low point. First Year Players has offered that to me. I can go into a room or see someone on the street and I know I will get a warm smile. This is an organization of people who all genuinely care about the wellbeing of every member. We are each other’s family."

-Mackenzie Maloney

Stage Manager '14-'15

The Drowsy Chaperone '12

Staff at the 2014 retreat

Shacks & Cabins

Shacks and cabins.

FYP has spent a lot of time in these places over the years. Last week, the organization participated in Shack-A-Thon, an annual Habitat for Humanity event.

The objective is to build a shack, decorate it, and have at least one member of the organization inside the shack at all times for three days and two nights. Various organizations on campus participated in the event, and FYP was glad to be a part of it again this year.

Our immensely talented art team designed and created an Addams Family-inspired shack, complete with a headstone. We all enjoyed spending time bonding inside the shack.

And the bonding soon continued. The Saturday after Shack-A-Thon ended, FYP went on our annual staff retreat to Camp Casowasco in Moravia, NY. All day Saturday and Sunday morning, we spent time as a collective organization, without cellphones or the distractions of our hectic lives back in Syracuse.

“It was amazing to see the staff come together the way it did through creative, competitive, and emotional vessels,” this year’s director Mike Liebenson says. “We got to break down barriers, and it was just a really impactful experience. It kind of reminded us that no matter where we came from or what our back story is, we’ve found our place.”

Creatively, the organization got to explore their individual gifts via a talent show, as well as in groups through activities. Other events during the weekend sparked friendly competition between members, balanced out by emotional conversations. The retreat provided a way to amplify the connections we’ve already made as a staff and allowed for fresh friendships to form.

As an organization, FYP emphasizes personal connections and interactions between members above anything else. Simply put: we’re a family. And the addition of new members each spring for the show is what keeps us all going.

And the verdict is...

Accompanied by plates of pasta and formalwear, FYP members new and old ventured to the Spaghetti Warehouse in Syracuse to hear one of the most exciting announcements of the year for the organization. Curiosity plagued staffers as they sat in wait for the big news.

The annual FYP Show Reveal dinner was this Sunday, and attendees enjoyed one another's company (and some awesome food) before watching a skit put on by this year's E-board to reveal the show they chose. In the skit, E-board members, each representing one the six final shows (and some frauds), duked it out in a competition of winner-takes-all. At the end, after a deceiving fake-out, the victorious show was the only one left standing.

It is then that the agony of wait was ended for those staff members who are not part of the executive board. The show was revealed, and members cheered and applauded for the decision – this April, FYP will be putting on The Addams Family!

Kailey Smith and Mike Landivar pose in front of our famous letters

We are beyond thrilled about the decision, and think that it will make for a more than positive experience for all the staff, cast, pit, and crew members!

For those unfamiliar with the show, The Addams Family opened on Broadway in 2010 and was created by the writers of Jersey Boys. It tells the story of a grown-up Wednesday Addams and her decision in a potential suitor, and the family drama that ensues. The ghoulish scenery is offset by comedic characters and fun, upbeat musical numbers.

Although we can't wait to get the ball rolling with preparations for the show, we're already anticipating the arrival of new FYP members that will be joining us next semester!

That's one good-lookin' E-board!

If you're interested in hearing more about how you can be involved with the show, our general interest meeting will be held this Wednesday, September 24th at 7:30pm in Bowne 111. We'll be doling out important information about workshops that will be held throughout the semester, info for those interested in joining stage crew, and giving you an idea of what it's like to be a part of FYP. You don't want to miss it!

Until then, have a FREAKishly great week. From our Family to yours.

Welcome Back!

One of our lovely APs, Olivia Shaw, holding up the staff shirt!

The weather's getting crisper, our noses are running, and our backpacks are getting heavy. This can only mean one thing – Syracuse University is back in session. Which also means that WE are back in session!

FYP is looking forward to another amazing year, and with that, another amazing musical. We've chosen the E-board, hand-picked the staff members, and now we're already under way with planning our spring 2015 production.

This past Sunday, all the staff members gathered together to meet for a organization-wide show discussion. We deliberated the pros and cons of each of the six final shows. After a long night of debate after the fact, the 2014-2015 E-board decided on this year's production at 3:04 a.m. Monday, September 15!

Staff members, new and old, at our first meeting

Next week, the show that was chosen will be revealed to the staff members, as well as to the Syracuse campus. Follow FYP on social media to ensure that you’re in the loop as we move ahead with the process of working out the details of all aspects of the show! We have a feeling this might be the best one yet.

Twitter
Facebook
Instagram